to put it further into perspective there are also some much bleaker and sadder tales - in todays Britain a young lady of that age is at far more risk of being hurt or even killed by someone she considered to be a soulmate or a friend, than a stranger, either on or off the roads.

 

A lot of young ladies now drive everywhere to get a bit of independence from controlling partners or unwanted advances from strangers/to go out as a group - but at the same time they still chance it with partying, alcohol and drugs or even their own risky and aggressive driving (ladette culture) and are increasingly involved in injury/fatal RTCs, often with a group of such girls being killed because their driver insisted on getting behind the wheel after having a drink. then there's also the "young girl with slightly older boyfriend (late teens/20s) with nice car" and that often ends up in carnage...

 

Worse, domestic violence amongst teens and 20-somethings (virtually unheard of during my own youth) has shot through the roof in recent times and is probably a worse threat these days than roads....

Edited October 14, 200916 yr by Alex728

I

Fortunately, my chunky MTB ebike will make a real mess of any fool who try’s to mess with me

 

I've seen the aftermath of car vs pedestrian/cyclist RTCs and because of this am less paranoid about taking "assertive" road positions, particularly with older owners of high value cars and even with many younger gary boys/girls. Even if the drivers hate you and do not feel you should be there, many do not want to damage their pride and joy by crashing into you!

Have you suggested an e-bike to him?

 

We shouldn't judge people only from their appearance, but in this case there is no choice: I would say that this lad doesn't have much money, looking at the bicycle, clothing and haircut...The man is brave enough to take on the climb, fair play to him. My intuition tells me that he doesn't have a car and that he is "forced" to relying on human power. I could be wrong though. It is such a shame that he doesn't go the extra mile (so to speak) to purchase some cheap hi-viz gear. I am worried that one day someone will run him over. I would speak to him if I knew where he lived.

I appreciate that the majority of subscribers to this site are keen cyclists, assisted, or otherwise....

using national speed limit roads is a Must for some country folk, and my appeal again would be to make yourself as visible as possible...its when one sees the sort of driving errors made by people who are ostensibly keen to do their best, that one realises how vulnerable the cyclist is...especially as not everybody is keen, fully awake, or even interested!!!!

the basis of IAM training is for the driver to be in the 'right' position on the road, travelling at the 'right speed' for the circumstance (which might be 60mph or 15mph), and able to stop safely on his (or her!) side of the road, in the distance they can see to be clear....if you can drive with this parameters intact for 1-2 hours, you will Pass your advanced test

the most frequently written word on crash (NOT accident!) claim forms is SUDDENLY....but things dont happen suddenly, they develop, and other than a blow out or mechanical failure, they develop at a speed that can be accomodated to, if the individual is anticipating, and focussed ...distracted people 'suddenly' see a cyclist!!!

so once again we can help by making our selves visible as early as possible, but I cant go along with Flecc's analysis that black is the colour of choice...white maybe, but not black..

when I was still commuting to work on my bike ( still young and vigorous!), I wore a white crash hat, a red cycling jersey and a yellow Sam Brown belt, and I attached a flashing LED to my right ankle to double its visbility from behind, and to the right hand side...

but vehicles emerging from the left are the real problem, and even if you think that you have made eye contact you may not have been 'seen'....so have a contingency plan in the back of your mind, and cover those brake levers!!!

as you can guess, reading Roadcraft, the Polce Drivers Handbook is my daily fare, and in fact it is a good read too, for all roadusers including cyclists

safe cycling

 

but vehicles emerging from the left are the real problem, and even if you think that you have made eye contact you may not have been 'seen'....so have a contingency plan in the back of your mind, and cover those brake levers!!!

 

Absolutely, particularly for motorcyclists whose deaths are most frequently caused by this, and it emphasizes that one's safety is chiefly in one's own hands. Realising that and desisting from trying to blaming others at every opportunity is the best recipe for a trouble free road using life. That attitude has not only kept me alive and completely unharmed over so many years and often with very high mileages, it's also economic through the enjoyment of non-stop full no claims bonus on motorbikes and cars.

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Edited October 14, 200916 yr by flecc

The main problem is with young (then everyone is to me) riders who have no lights or hi-vis at dusk or early when it is misty.

 

The trouble is that they are of an age which doesn't yet drive a car and don't realize that from in a car the driver's visibility is much less than theirs.

Super bright rear flashing lights and high visibility vests are usually great so that you can be seen while cycling, but a cyclist could easily convince themselves that they are being seen all the time: This is not the case when the sun is shining low and renders the precautions useless:eek:

I find that a low sun is blinding even while cycling. When driving, I tend to drive slightly further from the kerb just in case.

If you are getting blinded by the sun while cycling it would be wise to assume that the the people behind you are also being blinded and might not see you.

 

but I cant go along with Flecc's analysis that black is the colour of choice...white maybe, but not black..

 

To get noticed is why Batman has his car all black :

Batmobile

 

take your cue from the film industry where they usually rely on large single colour masses to get attention, black being a particular favourite. Darth Vader wouldn't get half so much attention if he wore a patchwork quilt.

 

That said, it's for motorcycles I've relied on black, partly because almost all my riding has been in daylight hours when a large black area is particularly noticeable. At nights all two wheelers are so especially vulnerable that I prefer to avoid any riding after dark whenever possible.

 

P.S. My main car is all black too.

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What a sad story to hear indeed!

 

Drivers mostly just look out for cars and therefore that's all that's on their radar

 

I rode home from a friend's house last night and an impatient car actually over took me as I was about to go across an island - he squeezed between me and one of those small islands for pedestrians to cross onto leaving me about an inch of room

 

He received a complimentary two-finger salute!

' date=' post: 61188"']What a sad story to hear indeed!

 

Drivers mostly just look out for cars and therefore that's all that's on their radar

 

I rode home from a friend's house last night and an impatient car actually over took me as I was about to go across an island - he squeezed between me and one of those small islands for pedestrians to cross onto leaving me about an inch of room

 

 

Ever noticed that some drivers seem to get angrier if you are riding fast on your e-bike? firstly they misjudge your speed (15+mph) and seem annoyed you can actually get that fast...

Ever noticed that some drivers seem to get angrier if you are riding fast on your e-bike? firstly they misjudge your speed (15+mph) and seem annoyed you can actually get that fast...

 

In a run up to an fairly busy island I freqent I find it helps to get my speed up to the same as the traffic 23 - 27 mph. This would be the equivalent on most car speedos of about 26 - 31 mph. I can't say I've noticed anyone getting angry but I am seriously alert for drivers on the left misjudging my speed.

I've found the anger occasionally manifests itself in the drivers still stubbornly pulling out (as if in complete denial a "pushbike" can go that fast) and/or a blast on the horn...

 

thankfully traffic flows in East Anglia are not as bad so this happens very rarely...

 

barry the advanced driving instructor mentions the errors made by drivers trying to do their best, so those who just don't care are going to be far worse..

As one who has suffered at the hands of other road users (once knocked off my bike 3 times on one trip alone - to work - a very bad day indeed), and once been largely responsible for my own big smash (I hit a white van head on in a steep narrow lane at 30mph + and actually cleared the roof of the van to eventually "face plant" on the road behind it), I would have to admit to being a little fatalistic in my outlook nowadays...

Accidents (or 'incidents' as some prefer to call them) happen. Some you can avoid, some you can't. You just can't let fear rule your life, or you won't have much of one to live .

You can learn from your mistakes and those of others but you can't always plan for every eventuality.

When I was a kid sitting in the front passenger seat next to my father ((who wasn't exactly a slow driver ), a guy in a Aston Martin flew up behind us, instantly overtaking on a blind bend as we crested a hill. It was a fast two lane A road. As the car just passed us a big motorcycle came over the hill top, probably doing a bout 60mph. He wasn't going too fast for the conditions, and he probably barely had time to see the car before they hit. The car was virtually cut in two and the driver killed outright, the motorcyclist was too and we found him a long way down the road form the site of the collision. It had a profound effect on me. Mostly, I have always held the view, be reasonably cautious by all means, but no matter what you can't control everything just don't let it bother you.

Planes (very occasionally) fall out of the sky, lightning strikes can be unpredictable, terrorist are a fact of life (even here, as we all know). What the heck. Life is for the living .

A sad incident indeed, I wish the young lady all the best.

I've just started motorcycling again after 20 or so years and really enjoying it, a friend of mine who is a bit outspoken said I looked like a belisha beacon dressed up in jaket and trousers each with bright yellow on, and he a former mcyclist himself! Of course I retorted with the obvious, better that way than not being seen. Like Flecc I have never fallen off an e bike or motor bike except when the motor bike has been stationery. This happens when I am trying to make a tight turn especially where the road or lane is narrow, slippery or on a slope, or all three. If I'm careless, or my foot slips, the bike tips to one side while I'm trying to turn it and is too heavy to save it from going right over, and is very heavy to put upright again, still, I am learning not to get into this situation though it happened again last sunday, - felt a right twit, couldn't get the bike upright fast enough and get out of an embarrasing situation.

On the M or e bike approaching junctions, cross roads, side roads into main roads and roundabouts, in fact anywhere where you are or could be ''threatened'' by an emerging vechile, can I offer the following tip? I.E. look at the WHEELS of the vechile more than the vechile itself. I find it much easier to see if the vechile is moving or starting to move by watching the wheels which are usually sculptured or patterened, rather than an overall vechile, even a slow and small movement can be seen.

As all know of course, wear high visibilty gear, concentrate, anticipate, drive for the other driver, use clear signals, bright lights, keep within all speed limits, (m bikes), use your mirrors fequently if you have them, glance behind you before manouvering, etc etc what else can you do?

As Phil the Drill says, there is of course risk in our activities but I for one could never say ''I'm not going to in case it happens to me'', it might not, and you would have missed a lot if you don't take the risk.

... and of course at junctions always try and make eye contact with the driver.

I've found the anger occasionally manifests itself in the drivers still stubbornly pulling out (as if in complete denial a "pushbike" can go that fast) and/or a blast on the horn..

 

I get that all the time, and it really hacks me off!

I too am very much of the opinion that life is a risk, I don't want to be wrapped up in cotton wool nor do I wish to put myself in unnecessary danger. But am fatalistic about what will be will be.

 

You do what you can (or are willing) to mitigate risks, the rest you accept.

 

I do tend to wear black (or dark/muted colours). My bike has lights and reflectors/reflective stips so I don't feel the need to wear more. I understand all the arguments but am free to choose. The same applies when snowboarding off piste, I understand the risks but I choose to do so.

 

After all I work in an office and my life isn't exactly the adrenaline fuelled adventure it used to be, some of us need a bit of risk to feel alive, all the arguments and consequences be damned.

 

I now only drive a car maybe once a week and am regularly surprised at the lack of skill and judgement of (probably) the majority of drivers. This is one instance where I would be happy for more regulation, re-tests every 5 years to include refreshers on the highway code.

 

The advice to drive appropriately for the situation is spot on but often something that will only come with experience.

 

So again you mitigate the risks of riding in traffic.

 

I assume everyone on the road has a basic level of competence (occasionally I do get proven wrong) but are all capable of stupidity. The hardest thing is to assume you yourself are also capable of surprising stupidity and to remember that before you do something stupid!

for all you folks who are motorcyclists and/car drivers, why not take this amazing opportunity to increase your skills, and get rid of acquired bad habits, by doing the Advanced Motorcyclist or Advanced Driving test....join the IAM at iam.org.uk and have half a dozen free country runs with an volunteer observer to bring your skills up to speed...and its all great fun

for all you folks who are motorcyclists and/car drivers, why not take this amazing opportunity to increase your skills, and get rid of acquired bad habits, by doing the Advanced Motorcyclist or Advanced Driving test....join the IAM at iam.org.uk and have half a dozen free country runs with an volunteer observer to bring your skills up to speed...and its all great fun

 

The IAM is an excellent organisation for promoting road safety and their magazines are also very informative. I've been a car driving member for 30 years and its stood me in good stead. It is only since I became an e-biker that I started to put my clean driving licence at risk!

I'm also supportive of what the IAM do, but have never bothered to join. My own approach to driving and riding is to regard myself as a permanent learner, realistic since there is always something fresh to be learnt regardless of how long one has been doing something. That approach has kept me safe for 63 yeas so I think it's a sound one.

 

I will never say I'm a skilled or advanced driver/rider on the basis that pride comes before a fall.

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... and of course at junctions always try and make eye contact with the driver.

 

Don't know really if thats quite a good idea? In this rather sorry driving world we are in with some very aggressive drivers about I actually try not to make eye contact with any of them, I think that once this is done then, in some cases, the other driver can get the (wrong) idea that he or sometimes she, somehow now ''knows'' you and then therefore feels at liberty to take part in some sort of road rage if he or she feels a need. Without eye contact, unless it's really necessary of course, then nothing ''personal'' has occured with the other driver thus lessening the chance of any aggro with them. Just my thoughts here, others may well differ in their opinions.

I do go for eye contact every time. The risks of the driver not seeing a two wheeler and suddenly pulling out out I think are very much higher than the risk of the rare aggressive driver who might be offended.

 

Of course the eye contact only has to be momentary and fleeting to ensure one's been seen, so need be scarcely enough for the aggressive to object. For motorcycling with visors or cycling with goggles, the aggression risk is absent since only the other drivers eyes are usually seen to make contact, he/she probably unable to discern your eyes clearly or at all.

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